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Temple
Implements
and Vessels
used in Feasts,
Ceremonies and
Temple Worship
by
Priests

Although use of the Temple Implements were made via directions from God, Himself, the complete creation and proper use of these inplements did not occur until the time of Solomon when the Hebrews built the permanent temple in Jerusalem. During Moses' reign, the chief priest was his borhter Aaron. For more details see our section: "Third Temple"

Copper
Laver or Muchni -
The copper laver and stand, which stands in the Temple
courtyard between the sanctuary and the outer altar,
is the first of the Temple vessels to greet the priests
each morning. There the priests wash their hands
and feet before proceeding to attend to the daily
tamid offering.

Mizrak - The priest collects
the blood from the sacrifice into the Mizrak, and
then spills the blood onto the corner of the altar.

Large
Mizrak - The large
mizrak, as the smaller mizrak, is used to gather
the blood of the sacrifice, and to spill it onto
the corner of the altar. The large mizrak is used
when sacrificing larger animals, (cows and bullocks).

Three
Pronged Fork -
The three-pronged fork is mentioned in 1 Samuel 2:13.
According to Rashi and Maimonides, the fork is used
to turn over the offerings on the altar fire, or
to lift up unconsumed portions of the offering so
that the woodpile can be rearranged.

Measuring
Cup - Measuring cups are used for measuring
flour, wine and oil, of which specific amounts are
prescribed to be used as ingredients in various offerings.

Copper
Vessel - The copper vessel is used for preparing
the meal offering. Meal offerings are made using various
amounts of flour, oil and spices.

Silver
Shovel - The
silver shovel is kept on the southwestern corner
of the altar. The shovel is used for the removal
of ashes left on the altar, the first task performed
by the priests each morning at the break of dawn.

Silver
Vessel Wine Libation -The
silver decanter is used for the wine libation.
Wine is poured on the altar twice daily, morning
and evening, accompanying the daily service.

Lottery
Box or Kalpi -
On Yom Kippur, the High Priest reaches into the
lottery box and chooses lots. Thus is determined
which goat will be used as an offering to G-d,
and which will be sent off to Azazel, as an atonement
for the sins of the people. During the First
Temple, the lots were fashioned of wood. In the
time of the Second Temple, they were of gold.
The lots pictured above are fashioned of both
wood and gold.

Silver
Cup for Water Libation - The silver cup,
with the golden flask, is used in the Festival
of the Water Libation, which takes place during
the Holiday of Succot. At dawn, triests and
levites, accompanied by the throngs of participants,
wend their way down to the Spring of Shiloach.
Water is drawn from the spring, and carried up
the the Temple in the golden flask, where it
is poured into the silver cup, as it rests atop
the altar.

Silver
Libation Vessels -
One of the main aspects of the holiday of Sukkot
(Tabernacles) is the Biblical commandment, "And
you shall be glad on your holiday, and you shall
be only joyful" (Deut. 16:14). Indeed, the
pilgrims who arrived in Jerusalem at the Temple's
courtyard came to rejoice. The focus of this
rejoicing was the ceremony surrounding the commandment
to pour water on the altar - the water libation.

Sickle -
On the 16th day of Nissan, in a public gathering
on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the first
of the barley crop is harvested using sickles.
This barley is then brought to the Holy Temple
to be used in the Omer offering.

Seives
for Omer Offering - Once the barley is
brought to the Temple Courtyard, priests beat,
roast, grind, and sift the grain. A handful of
the resulting flour is burned on the altar. The
remainder is eaten by the priests.

3-Tiered
Abuv - The Abuv
is a three-tiered stand. The top level holds
a perforated copper pan, and below it is a receptacle
for hot coals. It is used for roasting the newly
harvested barley of the Omer offering, performed
on Passover.

Hatavat
Menorah Cleansing Vessel- The daily service
of the Temple includes the cleaning of the seven
oil cups of the Menorah, using the vessel pictured
above, (in Hebrew, Hatavah). The vessel includes
tongs and a brush.

Oil
Pitcher - The oil pitcher is used to replenish
the oil for the menorah. The design pictured
above is based on an ancient coin from the Second
temple period. This pitcher contains 3.5 lug,
(2 liters) of oil.

Menorah
OilFlask -
The small golden flask is used to pour olive
oil into the menorah. The priest pours oil into
this flask from the larger pitcher, which contains
enough oil necessary for all seven lamps. This
smaller flask is then used to replenish the oil
of each individual lamp.

Frankincense
Censor - Once a week, on the Sabbath,
the twelve loaves of the showbread are removed
by the priests, and replaced with new loaves.
At the same time, the two portions of frankincense
are also replaced. The two portions of frankincense
are carried inside the gold Frankincense Censer.
Still inside the censer, they are placed on the
table of the showbread.

Incense
Chalice - The
incense chalice, which holds "half a portion" (approx.
200 grams), of the incense offering ingredients.
The chalice is carried into the Sanctuary of
the Temple, where the golden incense altar stands.
Upon entering the Sanctuary the priest sounds
the small ring-shaped bell seen on the top of
the chalice cover.

Incense
Shovel - This shovel is used to remove
burning coals from the outer altar. The priest
then carries the coals on this shovel into the
sanctuary, where the coals are used on the golden
incense altar.

Menorah -
The menorah, made from a single piece of solid
gold, stands in the southern side of the Sanctuary.
Each morning a priest prepares and rekindles the
wicks. The central wick, known as "the western
candle" is required to burn perpetually. The
oil and wicks of this candle are changed in such
a fashion as to insure that it will never be extinguished.

Showbread Table - in the northern side of the Sanctuary stands the table of the Showbread. The table
is made of wood, overlaid with gold. Upon it
are placed the twelve loaves of showbread. Each
Sabbath, the loaves are simultaneously removed
and replaced by fresh loaves, so as to insure
that these loaves remain "perpetually" on
the table. Miraculously, the week old loaves
being replaced also retain their heat and freshness.
These loaves are distributed among the priests.

Incense
Altar - Centrally located in the Sanctuary,
between the menorah to the south, and the table
of the showbread to the north, stands the incense
altar, directly in front of the Holy of Holies,
to the west. The incense altar, made of wood
covered with gold, is employed in what is considered
to be the most beloved aspect of the Temple service
in G-d's eye: the incense offering. In order
to allow for every priest to perform this most
prized of offerings, a daily lot is drawn. Only
those priests who have never offered incense
upon the altar are allowed to participate.

Ark
of The Covenant - This is one implement/vessel
which no one really knows what it looked like
because of its secrecy. Even when carried before
the Israelites during moves or battles, it
was covered by a special cloth and no one could
see it. When Christ returns we'll see exactly
what the "wings of angels" really
look like!

Priestly
Garment - This was a specially
designed garment ordered of God to use when apporaching
him. Only the High Priest (representing our High
Priest Jesus Christ) as allowed to enter into the
Holy of Holies once a year at Passover, also a
representation of the sacrfice Christ made for
us by shedding His precious blood on the cross.

Ephod
or Breastplate - This was a special and
mysterious part of the priestly garment with
significant powers. The twelve semi-precious
stones in the breastplate represent the twelve
tribes of Israel.

Tzitz
or Crown - One of the four "golden
garments" of the high priest is the crown,
fashioned from one single piece of pure gold.
The crown is worn across the forehead, extending
from ear to ear, (as pictured in the inset above).
It is held in place by a string dyed in the same
blue color as used in all the high priest's garments.
The crown bears the inscription: "Holy to
G-d," and is worn by the high priest at
all times, while he is officiating in the Temple.

Silver
Trumpets - In the Holy Temple, silver
trumpets are used during the Divine service,
as well as for announcing the arrival of the
Shabbat, the New Moon, the three Festivals, and
for other various occasions.

David's
Harp or Nevel - The harp, or nevel, is
a prominent instrument used by the Levites in
their orchestral accompaniment to the Divine
service.

Lyre -
The lyre, or kinnor, like the harp, is frequently
mentioned in the book of Psalms, as being a feature
of the Levitical orchestra which performs in the
Inner Courtyard of the Holy Temple.

The Parting
of the Red
Sea

The story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea is a story that everyone is familiar with, most having heard the account during childhood. The events of the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish slaves from Egypt has many skeptics, especially those who are dubious about the the claim that Moses was told to hold up his hand as the angels of the Lord parted a thousand foot wall of water. We've seen the portrayals of the incident by visionary artists for centuries, including Cecil B. DeMille's famous depiction in the film The
Ten Commandments. Who
can forget the classic scene with Charlton Heston,
who portrayed Moses, lift up his staff as
the ocean waters roll to the sides and form a wall
of water on each side of a drying seabed. Very
imaginative, but not quite how it happened. I'll
let an excerpt from the nonfiction bookAliens
& In-laws explain further:

Excerpt
from Aliens & In-laws

Moses and the
HFO

Moses
was the Jewish leader who led the tribe of Judah out
of Egypt around 1,200 to 1,500 B.C. The Jews, also
called Hebrews from the Egyptian word Habiru meaning
'slave', were once favored by a former Pharaoh (king)
who made the Jewish slave, Joseph, the second in command
in all of Egypt because he was able to accurately interpret
the Pharaoh's dreams. Joseph had also saved Egypt from
famine because God warned him in a dream of the impending
disaster. Through Joseph's leadership Egypt's wealth
increased ten-fold during the famine by selling food
to others. In return, Pharaoh freed the Jews from slavery
and gave them the choicest land in the Nile Delta called
Goshen in which to attend their sheep. But that had
all changed in the time of Pharaoh Ramses, the 18th
reign of Pharaoh (or possibly the 19th reign of Ramses
II). He had long forgotten the promises to Joseph,
and the previous Pharaoh had reintroduced slavery among
the Jews. Rameses (commonly spelled Ramses) also coveted
the choice land that his distant predecessor, Pharaoh
Apopis, had given to the decendants of Joseph.

Our greatest hint that Ramses was Rameses II is given
in Isaiah 5:24 "My people went down aforetime
into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian
oppressed them without cause." It has been established
that Rameses II had Chaldean or Assyrian blood lines.

Because of pressure applied by God, in the form of
many plagues and infestations, the Pharaoh begrudgingly
allowed the Jews to leave. However, shortly after they
had gone, he had a change of heart and decided to send
his armies to overtake Moses and kill all the Jews.
I think it was most likely that Pharaoh saw it as an
opportunity to rid himself of the Jews, once and for
all, without having to do a house-to-house search of
all of Egypt. He waited a few days before sending his
army, thus assuring that the stench of decaying carcasses
would not foul the main cities’ air quality. He knew
his troops could easily catch up to the Hebrews in
a far-away desert. It was likely his way of getting even for all
the death and mysery that the Jewish God, Yahweh, had
inflicted on the stubborn, unbelieving king and his
people.

It's been estimated that there were at least one million
Hebrews, and perhaps more than three million, because
God only counted the men, not their wives and children:

Exodus
12:37 "And the children of Israel
journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred
thousand on foot that were men, beside (not including)
children."

True route of the Hebrews out of Egypt can be traced by clues in The
Bible

Figure
1 - The path Moses would have
taken in order to turn south at Etham (Numbers 33:5-8).
The above path traces down natural desert washes and
canyons (revealed on Google
maps) which would have been the most likely path of
travelers who lived 2,500 years ago. I've simply chosen
the logical, most direct path above. There is a large
open area with paths leading both east and south where
I've placed "Baal Zephon" and, if I were an explorer,
I'd look on the nearby mountaintops for the lost city
of Baal Zephon. Good bet that's where it is.

When,
on the night of the Passover, all the first born of
Egypt were killed by the angel of the Lord (except
those they "passed over" which had animal's blood swabbed
over their doorposts i.e., the Hebrews), the Pharaoh
finally acquiesced and allowed the Hebrews to leave.
It was that very same day, perhaps just after midnight,
that the Jews gathered their belongings and made
a beeline out of Egypt before Rameses changed his mind.
I'm sure Moses had them organized and prepared to leave
on short notice. After all, he was trained in such
matters by the Egyptian elite forces.

Exodus
12:37,41 "And
the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to
Succoth…on that very same
day…it
came to pass that all the armies of the Lord
went out from the land of Egypt."[Underlines added
for emphasis].

Moses
was moving quickly but taking time to rest his weary
people.The first night they made camp near Succoth, not
too far from Goshen, but then Pharaoh had a change of
heart and decided to gather his troops to send after
the Hebrews. That's when the Lord knew they'd need to
travel more quickly to His prearranged destination. He
told them to prepare bread that wouldn't mold because
they wouldn't have time to cook fresh meals for the next
seven days. Pharaoh's troops would probably leave Egypt
the next day in hot pursuit.

Exodus
13: 6,8 " Seven
days thou shalt eat unleavened bread,
and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This
is done because of that which the LORD did unto me
when I came forth out of Egypt."[Underlines
added for emphasis].

The
Israelites didn't stop, they traveled both day and
night:

Exodus
13:21" And
the LORD went before them by
day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and
by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to
go by day and night:" [Underlines added for
emphasis].

We
know their travels were not on the main trade routes
which were further north called "the way of the
Philistines"
(see Map above for location) and Exodus tells us why
they went this way:

Exodus
13:17-18"Then it came to pass, when
Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead
them by way of the land of the Philistines, although
that was near; for God said, 'Lest perhaps the people
change their minds when they see war, and return to
Egypt.' So God led the people around by way of the
wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel
went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt".

Numbers 33:5-8"Then
the children of Israel moved from Rameses
and camped at Succoth. They departed from
Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on
the edge of the wilderness.They
moved from Etham and turned back
[south and west --see
figure 1] to
Pi Hahiroth,
which is east
of Baal Zephon; and they camped near Migdol.
They departed from before Hahiroth and
passed through the midst of the sea into
the wilderness, went three days' journey
in the Wilderness of Etham, and camped
at Marah."

Baal
Zephon means "God of the North" and historians
are uncertain exactly where that mountain is located
which is referred to in the book of Numbers. There
is a mountain called Zephon in northern Syria that
is often sited, but that would be more than a seven-day
journey and far north of the Red Sea and Mount Sinai,
not just to the east. Baal Zephon would more likely
be in a mountain range of the Midian territories
(see below). During the time of the Exodus, their
territory apparently also included portions of the
Sinai Peninsula, according to the New
World Encyclopedia.
We know the Midianites worshipped Baal, unlike the
Egyptians who had their worship centered around the
sun-god Ra. Pharaoh is derrived from the words Ra,
the “sun” or “sun-god,” and the article phe,
“the,” prefixed; hence phera
(or now Pharoah), “the sun,” or “the sun-god.”

I have placed it (the Baal Zephon referred
to at the time of Rameses II) in one of its
more likely locations on my map (see Figure
1). Ron Wyatt claims
there was a crumbling fort on the shores of
Arabia just opposite Nuweiba Beach which he
thought might be Baal Zephon, but that would
place Pi-Hahiroth west, not east, of Baal Zephon.
I think it was more likely a typical mountaintop
place of worship used by the Midianites farther
inland but directly behind Nuweiba Beach.

Unfortunately, many Bible translations have taken liberties with the original and replaced the word "facing" with the word "opposite", which has the opposite meaning, placing the mountaintop landmark on the Saudi side of the Gulf of Aqaba (something even Ron Wyatt adhered to). The words "turn back" can only indicate they were to turn 180 degrees from the direction they were headed, which is obviously east. I think that God wanted the Israelites to turn and face their enemies in bold defiance of Pharoah. Migdol, the Egyptian fortress, was buttressed up against the mountainside, so God instructed Moses to camp between the mountains and the sea, on the sands of Nuweiba beach. (see figure 10)

Exodus
14:2Tell
the people of Israel to turn back [turn
around] and
camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol
[the
Egyptian fortress] and
the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon,
facing it [and
camp] by
the sea.
English
Standard Version

Figure 2 - Baal
Zephon - If I were an explorer I'd look
for the lost city of Baal
Zephon on this most-likely candidate's peak
in the mountain range directly behind Nuweiba Beach.
This view is looking west across the Gulf of Aqaba
toward Nuweiba Beach from the opposite shores in
Saudi Arabia. Image courtesy
arkdiscovery.com

Figure
3 - The Lord had Moses raise his staff
as a symbolic way to establish his moral authority
over the Hebrews. It was the "angel"
of the Lord that actually used the laws of physics
to create a type of force field that held the
waters in place. Exodus tell us the Lord caused
a strong eastward wind to blow all night to dry
the seabed, likely a type of exhaust from the
pillar in horizontal position. My illustration
above is pretty close to what I had in mind, but
the cylinder would actually be positioned over
the body of water holding the walls of water in
place. Also, Moses would have been among the last
to leave on the Nuweiba shore, and race to the
opposite side, probably on horseback, to be in
position to collapse the waters on Pharaoh's pursuing
troops which were being led by their commanders
in prized gold-gilded chariots. Sweet…is the revenge
of the Lord!

Figure
4 - Phoenician or Hebrew-style Column
found on the beach in Nuweiba. It's believed
that King Solomon originally erected these
columns, one on each shore, (since his name
is on them) in honor of Yahweh and dedicated
to the Hebrew's miraculous crossing of the
Red Sea.

"Pillar
of a
cloud by day…and by night in a
pillar of fire"

Exodus
13:21And
the LORD went
before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead
them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to
give them light;to
go by day and night:"

Again,
note that Moses is referring to a pillar "of a" or "in
a" cloud, clearly differentiating the cloud from
the pillar. The cloud was simply a covering for the object.
Is there precedent for this type of cloaking today with
giant flying columns? Indeed. In fact, there are accounts
of smaller drone-class UFOs winding around giant columns
and dispersing a vaporous cloud-like material outside
the larger "mother
ships" when they've appeared close to the earth.
That was a few decades ago, but today, because of the
times in which we live, giant UFOs are becoming much
more daring in their revelation, as if they have stepped
it up and want us to clearly see them. In fact, I'll
throw in a few of the more notable giant cylinders
photographed just in the last few years (other than the
great black-and-white example from 1967 below).

Figure
5-A Rhode
Island, USA 1967

Figure
5-B Zhejiang
Province, China 2010

Figure
5-C Zhejiang
Province, China 2010

Figure
5-D Big Island,
Hawaii 2011

Figure
5-E Modesto,
California 2005

Figure
5-F Auxerre,
France 2008

Figure
5-G Monterrey,
Mexico 2005

Figures
5 A-G (Top
left clockwise): Cumberland,
Rhode Island in 1967. One of the earliest photos
of a cigar-shaped mother ship.• Second two from Zhejiang
Province, China, 2010. "Air traffic controllers
shut down the Xiaoshan International Airport around
9 pm Wednesday evening after spotting a cigar-shaped
UFO nearby," the China News Service reported, "...causing
massive flight delays. The glowing, gigantic column
was visible for nearly an hour." • Modesto,
California 2005: close-up of a cylinder taken by
David Anderson. It appeared to have 15 smaller spheres
docked on the ouside of the large column. •
Monterrey, Mexico 2005, taken by Ana Louisa Cid
• Auxerre, France 2008: a
definite carrot-shped UFO • Hawaii 2011,
taken from the grounds of the Mauna Kea complex (CFHT) Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (also captured
on livecam) on December 6th by a private observer
and posted on his blog. The lights of Honomu and Hilo
are seen below the heavy cloud covering.

Ufo seen Over China On July 7, 2010 near the Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou, China.

Pillar
of
cloud - (cont'd)

As
the fleeing Jews attempted to escape from the Pharaoh
they came upon the Red Sea and were fearful that they
would die at the hands of the closing Egyptian army.

If you read the account given in the Bible you’ll find
that it differs significantly from the film version portrayed
by Cecil B. DeMille. The Israelites were, in reality, preceded
by a huge pillar of cloud. When they got to the Red Sea
and saw Pharaoh’s army approaching, they cried out to
Moses saying, “better we should have stayed slaves than
to die in this barren, God foresaken wilderness.” But
Moses knew God’s plan. He told the people, “Don’t be
afraid, for God is going to fight for you today. Be still
and watch the salvation of the Lord.” The people watched
as the huge cloud of the Lord maneuvered:

EXODUS
14:19 And the
angel of God, which went before
the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them;
and the
pillar of the cloud went
from before their face, and stood behind them: [Underlines
added for emphasis].

Note
that Moses may be talking about two objects: The Angel
of God, and the pillar of cloud. The first object,
the angel, may have been what Ezekiel described as
a "wheel within a wheel. Also note that the second
object is not called “a pillar of cloud” but, rather,
referred to as the (solid) pillar “of the cloud”, inferring
the cloud or vapor was simply a cloaking mechanism
to hide the appearance of the cylinder, or pillar.
Deuteronomy tells us this pillar physically held over
10,000 angels(see
figure 5 below).

re: Deuteronomy
33:2 Make sure you select the Authorized Version
-- aka The King James Bible version -- for the
most accurate translation of this verse...with the
exception that it says God came with ten thousands [meaning
an undefinable number] of "saints" [resurrected
humans] rather
than "holy
ones" [angels] which
is more correct.

Another significant area is whether the word is with (עם) or from (מ in Hebrew).There is a significant difference between "came from" and "came with," which many have wrongly misinterpreted. They have forced their prejudices on the original, which is with (עם).

The Lord came to them withan undefinable
number of angels. You if can find a Holman Christian Standard Bible, that is arguably the most accurate exegesis or interpretation, and highly recommended by such notable men as Dr. Charles Stanley and the late Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Deuteronomy
33:2He said: The
Lord came from
Sinai and appeared
to them from Seir;
He shone [on them] from Mount Paran and
came with ten thousand holy ones,
with lightning from His right hand for them. (HCSB)

The
sight was so awesome that the Egyptian army was hesitant
to attack the Jews. As the night drew nearer, the object
gave off an enormous light that lit the entire camp
of over one million Jews.

20
And it came between
the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and
it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light
by night to these: so that the one came not near the
other all the night.

Figure
6 - And the mountain of the Lord caused a
great eastward wind to blow all night and dry up
the sea bed of the Red Sea so that the fleeing Hebrews
could cross over on dry land quickly. It was also
a trap that the Lord's angels had planned for Pharoah's
army. Once their army, with the chariots leading
the way, were fully committed to persuing the Hebrews
across the nearly 10 mile spans, the sea water began
seeping back into the sands and the chariot wheels
began sinking making it impossible to escape the
waters that came crashing down on them.

It’s
interesting to read that the object was able to direct
its light so that it lit the Hebrew camp but was
"darkness and cloud" to the Pharaoh’s forces.

It was during that tense night that Moses stretched out
his hand and the sea parted, but it was not an instantaneous
occurrence as portrayed in the film. It took all night
to dry out the sea bed:

EXODUS
14:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back bya
strong east wind all that night, and made the
sea dry land, and the waters were divided[Underlines
added for emphasis].

Then
in the early morning hours the tribe of Israel escaped
through the parted waters:

EXODUS
14:22And the children of Israel went into the
midst of the sea upon dry ground: and the waters were
a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their
left.

As
daylight approached, the Egyptians were able to see
that the Jews were escaping. Pharaoh's commander certainly
must have been a tremendous leader because he was able
to talk his army into pursuing the Israelites through
the walls of the huge body of water. It must have been
an awesome and fearful sight:

EXODUS
14:23And the Egyptians pursued, and went in
after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s
horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Now
when the Egyptians had traveled well into the sea
path, the Lord caused the chariot wheels to fall
off, ensuring that none would escape:

EXODUS
14:24And it came to pass, that in the morning
watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians
through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and
troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25And took off
their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so
that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face
of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against
the Egyptians.

As
they fled back to shore Moses stretched out his hand
again and the sea water came crashing in on the Egyptians
and the entire army of 250,000 was drowned or
crushed.

I sincerely believe that God had Moses stretch out his
hand as a symbolic gesture. He wanted the people to
think that Moses was somehow responsible (of course,
he was in a sense) for the way the giant cloud (the “angel”
of the Lord) had demonstrated its awesome ability.

Chariot wheels found in the
waters just off Nuweiba Beach, Sinai Peninsula

Figure 7 -
The Wadi Watir as it appears today. This is
the steep-cliffed canyon that leads to Nuweiba
Beach where the trapped Hebrews waited to be
slaughtered by the powerful army of Pharaoh,
some 250,000 strong. But God had other plans
for the Pharaoh's forces, which included 600 "choice" chariots.
(See right) The Lord easily lured their commanders
down the canyon because they knew the terrain,
as they had an outpost on the beach, and it
would be an easy task to kill the Hebrews and
take their wealth and livstock back to Egypt.

Figure 8 - Above is an artist's rendering overlayed
on the encrusted axel and metal center hub
of a choice chariot. Carriages were also found.

Figure
9 - Chariot wheels found off the shores
of Nuweiba were 4, 6, and larger 8-spoked wheels
(top) used on choice chariots and only employed
during the 18th dynasty of the Pharaohs.

Figure
10- Nuweiba
Beach as it appears today with many new vacation
homes and resorts erected along its shores. To
see what it looked like when Moses was camped on
its beach, ROLL OVER image with your cursor [desktop
users only]

The
beach at Nuweiba, which is short for Nuwayba’al Muzayyinah
in Arabic, means “waters of Moses open”. It has all
the necessary attributes to clearly make it the place
where Moses and the Hebrews were trapped by Pharoah's
army which was approaching in the canyons of Wadi Watir
(above).
A Hebrew-style column was recently found by the Egyptians
tipped over and laying near the shoreline of Nuweiba.
Officials moved the large stone pillar further from
the water's edge, embedded it in cement to keep it
upright and plastered over the pillar's exterior. Unfortunately,
they covered the writing that locals claim were inscribed
on it. The words: Mizraim (Egypt), Moses, death, water,
Yahweh, Solomon and Edom. The column was a landmark
from antiquities, most likely erected by Solomon, to
show where Moses had miraculously crossed over the
Red Sea on dry land. An identical column has been found
on the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia.

The Bible also mentions that there was an Egyptian
garrison and watchtower near the crossing. The remains
of an ancient three-story structure called Migdol (Hebrew
for watchtower) still stands at Pi-Hahiroth on the
northern end of the beach. Pi-Hahiroth, in Hebrew Pi
ha-Cheyroth means "mouth
of the gorges" per Strong's Concordance. A gorge
is a ravine, gully or canyon. So this location fits
exactly what is described in Scripture. This large
beach, roughly 3 miles by 5 miles, is large enough
to hold the estimated one million-plus Jews who fled
the bondage of Rameses II, during the 18th reign of
the Pharaohs, and is enclosed by steep mountains that
serve as an inescapable trap.

The noted Roman historian, Flavius Josephus, who
chronicled the Jewish history around 70 AD, wrote
of Moses' exodus: "A ridge of mountains…obstructed
their flight (escape)."

"They also
seized on the passages by which they imagined the
Hebrews might fly, shutting them up between inaccessible
precipices and the sea; for there was [on each side]
a [ridge of] mountains that terminated at the sea,
which were impassable by reason of their roughness,
and obstructed their flight; wherefore they there
pressed upon the Hebrews with their army, where [the
ridges of] the mountains were closed with the sea;
which army they placed at the chops of the mountains,
that so they might deprive them of any passage into
the plain." Antiquities
of the Jews, Book 2, chpt.15, paragraph 3

Figure 11 (Left):
An ancient Egyptian garrison still stands today on
the shores of Nuweiba Beach at Pi-Haharoth which
is translated
"mouth of the gorges" and also "mouth of Heroth Pass." The three-story
structure is believed to be the watchtower which
is described in Scripture which existed at the time
of Moses and the Hebrews during their flight from
Pharoah's fast-approaching army of 250,000 battle-hardened
soldiers. Unfortunately, the Egyptian government has undergone a restoration of the building and may have changed some features slightly.

Alternative
Theories

There
is another route that is debated which takes the tribe
of Hebrews further south around the tip of the Sinai
Peninsula, which is something to ponder. The data on
that route can be found at http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-baal-zephon.htm However,
this way does not explain the following Scripture that
clearly warns of a steep mountain range that obstructed
Moses' escape, "They are
entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them
in" (Exodus 14:3 KJV), nor would it be possible
to reach Succoth where this author puts it because
there would be no way to reach that destination the
same day. The Hebrew entourage would be lucky to travel
12 or 15 miles a day, certainly not the 150 mile distance
he is showing.

Yet another hypothesis has Moses crossing over the
shallow Sea of Reeds and traveling along the extreme
north to a place called Lake Bardawill in the northern
Sinai Peninsula. This theory has them headed out onto
the sand spit and turning around and going back, then
heading south. There are many problems with this location,
but it does make the "miracle" of the parting
of the Red Sea a much simpler task. They speculate
a typo in the Bible. It really meant the Reed Sea
which is only around 6 feet at its deepest point where
they have Moses crossing over. Scientific hypotheses
even claim it's possible for wind to move bodies of
water forming dry land for up to 4 hours, as long as
they are fairly shallow (up to 6 feet). That conveniently
rules out any supernatural "miracle" and
makes it a purely scientifically plausible, somewhat
natural occurrence. Government studies have been done
calculating the possibility of wind moving small bodies
of water with simulated computer models. My faith is
a little stronger than that, but you can check out the
data yourself: http://www.arkcode.com/photo2.html if
you are so inclined.